Barangay Ayat

Situated in Mandaon, Masbate, Barangay Ayat is one of 26 barangays that make up the municipality within Bicol Region.

According to the 2020 Philippine census, Barangay Ayat had a population of 1,769. This made it the 9th largest of 26 barangays in Mandaon by population, placing it in the middle tier of the municipality. Residents of Barangay Ayat accounted for approximately 4.01% of the total population of Mandaon, which stood at 44,122 in the same census year.

Between the 2015 and 2020 censuses, the population of Barangay Ayat changed from 1,684 to 1,769, a shift of +5.0% over the five-year period. This places the barangay among those with growing populations in Mandaon. Barangay Ayat is officially classified as rural, a designation applied to barangays with lower population density and predominantly non-built-up land use.

Mandaon is a municipality comprising 26 barangays, and serves as the governing unit directly responsible for local services in Barangay Ayat, including public health, sanitation, peace and order, and civil registration. Within the wider province of Masbate, which contains 550 barangays across its component cities and municipalities, Barangay Ayat ranks 170th by 2020 population. Masbate is classified as a 1st by the Bureau of Local Government Finance, a category that reflects the province's annual regular income.

Like every Philippine barangay, Barangay Ayat is led by an elected Punong Barangay (barangay captain) supported by seven Sangguniang Barangay members (kagawads), an SK Chairperson, a Barangay Secretary, and a Barangay Treasurer. The next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) are scheduled for Monday, November 2, 2026, with officials serving four-year terms under Republic Act No. 12232.